THE Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD) faces deregistration in under a month if it fails to pay an outstanding statutory debt of almost K400 million it owes the Office of the Registrar of Societies.
Chief Registrar of Societies Clement Andeleki said in Lusaka yesterday that the money – K390, 980,000 – must be paid within seven days.
“If the MMD does not pay this money which has been outstanding for the past 20 years, I have the power to de-register them by law, as soon as possible,” Mr Andeleki said.
Mr Andeleki, however, said in the interest of democracy and respecting opposition as a crucial ingredient to democracy and checks and balances, he had given the former ruling party seven days to make the payment.
The warning comes barely 48 hours before the former ruling party holds its card renewal exercise scheduled for Mulungushi International Conference Centre in Lusaka.
“This money has been outstanding for years despite numerous reminders,” Mr Andeleki said. “Instead of taking any drastic action, we, as a society, want them to pay up and if they fail to pay, the law will take its course,” he said.
The news of the two-decade debt, however, has been received with shock by MMD deputy national secretary Chembe Nyangu who expressed ignorance and surprise.
“We have heard about this debt today (yesterday) and all I can tell you is that I am shocked, surprised and disturbed by this news.”
“As far as I am concerned, we are up to date with all our bills, including this year’s bills,” Mr Nyangu said. Mr Nyangu added: “If there is anything we owe the society, then it is a hidden fee of some kind which they never informed us about.”
But Mr Andeleki said the society had no reason to hide anything from the MMD or any other party or society, hence the reminders.
“If you check the letter of final reminder we sent them, Mr Andeleki said, “you will find that there’s a part where we say that they had ‘failed or neglected to pay statutory fees despite several reminders’, so clearly this is not calculated.”
If the MMD does not pay the outstanding fees even after a court order, the consequences could mean a de-registration and effectively the loss of parliamentary seats.
The law states that one can only be a legislator in Zambia through a party or as an independent, hence de-registration would spell doom for many MMD members of Parliament.
Asked whether the ruling PF also was in debt having existed for more than a decade, Mr Andeleki said: “The PF has no debt. Their books are clean because they asked for an exemption which every party with more than 10 branches can ask for.”
Mr Andeleki said the letter of final warning to the MMD is but one of the many he intends to write to other defaulting organisations withholding money that could be spent on service delivery.
[Zambia Daily Mail]
MMD- a very disorganized party. De-register it, like yesterday.
Iliko tricky. PF asked for exemption bcos they have more than 10 branches… MMD are not aware?
Arrogance. They thought they would be in power forever and could get away not only with steaing from the people but also stealing more from the people. Lets hear some MMD chief bootlicking,
Non-payment of statutory fees will pale into insignificance when we present the crimes – murders, thefts, betrayals, treason, corruption, extortion, negligence, etc, that the MMD and its leaders in government and the party committed against individuals and the people of this country! Just be patient .. a bit ,,,, !!!
Just being inquisitive! Why was Gregory Chifire’s organisation also warned before being de-registered?
Ahhhh, this includes the first 10 years when some PF leader was secretary general of the MMD…. Quite interesting.
The usual Zambian rot! Where was this Registrar of chaos all these 20 years? Is it the now familiar story of “guarding his job until it is convenient??” Most of these states of affairs in this country is nauseating! How do you keep food down with such mediocrity??
Fire the chief registrar. Where was he for the past 20 years?
Why did the office of the Registrar of Societies wait for 20 years (until when MMD is an opposition party) for it to claim the payment? This is laxity of the worst order. How many more societies are in the shoes of the MMD? Probably many. I think that office needs some shake up.
Can our current Colonial Governor in the Governor’s Mansion one Constable Michael Chilufya Sata explain why, as Secretary General i.e Chief Administrator of the MMD from 1991 to 2001, he did not pay registration fees for his Party? Secondly can the Registrar of Societies tell us what Sata told him when he requested for payment of the fees. We want to see the correspondence! Finally can the Registrar resign for the abrogation of his statutory duties. Zambia: The circus is in town. Main attraction: New clown going by the name of King Cobra! Supporting Acts: GBM, Kambwili, Mukanga, World’s worst lawyer, Kilometre Supper etc
Mr Registrar of Societies, let the MMD pay even the ruling party should pay to show a good example. Don’t exempt the PF why? the society needs money. If you exempted them other parties will follow then you have no funds in account my brother.
Zambia is in dire straights.Its very hard to find appropriate words for what is going on in the country.Firstly the Presidency is vaccant,the the vice presidency is vaccant too,then the registrar of societies doesnt know how to collect their revenue.Ever heard of a banana Republic?I think we are fast becoming one.Elections are too far away and only God can safeguard us in the meantime.GOD BLESS ZAMBIA.
What about the Mmd?Thats one of many reasons Zambians lost faith in them and lost the elections.I cant have much faith in them.If they had serious leaders they could have corrected this post elections but alas they cant reason they didnt know.By the way Pf won because millions of registered voters shunned the elections!GOD BLESS ZAMBIA.
PF won IN SPITE of voters who did not vote biatch. And if MMD were serious, they would have sorted this bill out 20 years ago not post elections. Your are well and truely dull my friend. Which village do you come from?
To whose good would the de-registration of MMD be? I am pf but, I don’t believe that this would benfit anyone at all. The opposition party de-registered, resulting in mass bye elections, completely un-budgeted for? This is like shooting once self in the foot. What is democracy if there is no opposition?
It is a great point made, are we going into one party state again if the strong opposition with members of parliament get disolved and just remain with UNDP, I am getting scared now with the politics of today! Why did the not do it when they were in power, where they threatned by then or what? Great
We’ll pay you bwana registrar…
chisale fye mudala.
# 2 Equalizer. Grow up and read. PF with more than 10 branches is exempted. MMD has more branches than PF but not exempted. Make sense to you? We want all societies to pay up their fees and threats of de-registration makes Mr Sata more UNPOPULAR as a DICTATOR who resorts to desperate un democratic tactics to suppress its citizens. Civil servants like the Registra of Societies need not dance to the tunes of polititians as he is doing. He failed to collect fees not only from MMD but all other political parties. He needs to be removed from his position.
So basically MMD have been operating illegally for 20 years. It would have been longer if Ala Bee had won. MMD can not cite ignorance of the exemption clause because they were at one time headed by one of the allegedly best lawyer on the continent, late Mwanawasa. Arrogance.
This basically under-lines the importance of the INDEPENDENCE of institutions like the Registrar of Societies. This chap Clement Andeleki did not say a word to the public for 20 years because the MMD would have sorted him out (fired him). This kind of breach should not have to wait 20 years to be sorted out. Defaulting on a mortgage results in repossession of your property and MMD should face the same consequences. No more leniency.
Someone should dig out a few billions from their back yard.
The Registrar should do the right thing and resign. Where’s he been all these 20 years? Can he show us (Zambians) proof that he wrote to Michael Sata as SG of MMD asking for this money to be paid, and can he show us MCS response. Is this the professionalism that MCS talked about instilling in the civil service? This is really pathetic.
This is interesting. This Registrar did not threaten the MMD when it was in power, but as soon as it is out of power, he comes up with this ‘debt.’ If this has been going on for 20 years, why did he not publicise it all these years? I feel pain in my heart over these s t u p i d and inept Zambian officials who for fear over their jobs, cannot stand up for the truth! In 2017, he may be telling us another story on the PF.
If MMD do not cough up, them their participation in the September 2011 elections is null and void and all MMD members of parliament immediately lose that status.
My advise? They can start an auction of stolen bicycles and other personal assets.
Come on!!!!!!!!! PF cannot be that desperate
mmd as a party in power never paid anything to any institution, be it zesco, zamtel, councils, the list is endless. they made sure that they intimidated anyone who had the guts to stand up to them and ask for payments or query them about their shoddy deals. remember kapitolo on dora and zamtel, malila, nchito on corruption, that zesco md on fibre cable, the list is endless. who is this kasmall registrar to have stood up to them. come on guys think and think.
oh, by the way am not saying deregister mmd, no. we need them for democracies’ sake. we need to check on pf’s excesses otherwise we may be building a monister here. i really enjoy red lipped’s comedy, dora’s bokosi, shikapwasha’s nose …. the list endless on these thieving political comedians cum fools.
Who is this Mr Andereki s he the one who was involved in the Forgery case with the current President during late President’s time?
Iyeeeeee Chipolopolo!!!!!!!!! Zambia the real Africa!
Jelita naka mulenga i dont live in a village,i live in a city and have a job that deals with a lot of IQ.I have all the data on elections, the turn out was low,check the electrol commission website.I dont Know who is dull.Iam neither mmd or pf.iam not upnd either.Iam a plain intellecual Zambian and have been to university too.Dont insult me kolokombwa…the language of your mouth.GOD BLESS ZAMBIA.
You can take a ? from the village, but not the village out of the same. So, yes your ignorance is dangerous because it assumes the character of knowledge and is therefore misleading. But you do not fool me.
As long as the right to vote exists (which it does in Zambia) low turnout is a reflection of contentment of voters about likely winners or parties and is therefor as legitimate as high voter turn out. If you read your stattistics again you will see that the people who swung the vote for PF are the young and poor. Regardless of what the turnout was, these deserve representation because they at least bothered to state their opinion, unlike the “no show”voters whose opinion we will never know and who have rendered themselves out of the equation by their own hand (or lack thereof)
The difference btwn “BOMA NI BOMA” and “BOMA YENZE BOMA.” Mr Registrar you had no power then bt nw its like u hv jst been sworn in, do ur job boss.
First it was rentals, now it is registry fees, typical mentality of failing to distinguish between the Party and the Government. This is a clear sign of how MMD was disorganised, I wonder want the people at the MMD secretariat do?
DICTATOR OF THE CENTURY AT IT AGAIN.